Shockwave

Notes

In 2152 the NX-01 visited a Paraagans mining colony. Operations on the planet had rendered the atmosphere flammable, requiring strict protocols to be followed by all atmospheric craft. Although the Enterprise crew followed these protocols exactly, as the shuttlepod approached there was a gigantic explosion which utterly destroyed the colony and all 3,600 inhabitants. As the crew attempted to work out what had happened, Admiral Forrest recalled the ship and cancelled its mission of exploration.2

As Archer retired for the night he found himself in his residence in San Francisco. Trying to work out what had happened, he received the exact same com message from Commander Tucker which had had received ten months previously, shortly before Klaang arrived on Earth. Daniels arrived, telling Archer that he was not dreaming - he had been transported through space and time so that Daniels could use this as a safe place to talk. He went on to tell Archer that history recorded no explosion at the Paraagan colony; it must have been caused by one of the factions in the Temporal Cold War.2

Daniels returned Archer to the NX-01 with detailed information of how the plot may have been carried out. Using a phase discriminator Trip located a plasma generator attached to the shuttlepod - this had been used to ignite the explosion. He instructed Trip to build two quantum beacons to specifications which Daniels had provided. Using the database of future information left in Daniels' quarters, Archer took the NX-01 to the location of a cloaked Suliban stealth cruiser. Crippling the ship with phase cannon fire, the NX-01 launched a boarding party which located the Suliban ship's computer core and retrieved three information storage discs. With the raid successfully completed, the NX-01 headed for a rendezvous with a Vulcan ship. A translation of the discs proved once and for all that the Suliban had indeed caused the disaster at the Paraagan colony.2

Meanwhile Silik reported the NX-01's actions to his controller from the future. He was ordered to capture Archer, and proceeded to intercept the Starship with a fleet of Suliban warships. On Enterprise Archer explained to T'Pol how he had known about the cruiser - though she flatly refused to believe the story since the Vulcan Science Directorate had long ago determined that time travel was impossible. As they discussed the issue, the ship experienced an instability in the warp field. Archer ordered the quantum beacons turned aft, revealing the Suliban fleet surrounding the ship. Silik hailed Archer and ordered him to surrender himself within five minutes or face destruction. With no other choice, Archer agreed - but as he made his way to the docking port, he found himself in an unknown building alongside Daniels, looking our over a devastated cityscape. A distraught Daniels informed Archer that he was in the 31st century - and that as the result of some change in the past his own time period has been destroyed. Worse, with the time portals gone he has no way to return Archer to his own period.2

With Enterprise captured and taken to a Suliban Helix station, Silik was surprised to find himself unable to ommunicate with his controller. He began to interrogate the crew for information regarding Archer.3

In the future, meanwhile, Archer and Daniels searched a library for information regarding the changes to the timeline. Daniels was surprised to note that a monument to "The Federation" had never been built. He began to realise that removing Archer from his time had caused the exact disaster he had been trying to prevent. Returning Archer promised to restore the timeline, and Daniels tried to improvise a temporal communicator with Archer's communicator and hand scanner.3

On the NX-01 Silik detected a temporal signature which proved that T'Pol had not been lying about Archer's dissapearence. He drugged T'Pol and interrogated her, but gained little helpful information. Back in her quarters T'Pol heard a communication from Archer in the future, something she found hard to believe but did eventually accept.3

The NX-01 crew formed an escape plan; they attempted to retrieve a piece of equipment from Daniels' quarters. Lieutenant Reed was captured during the attempt, and was beaten for information. He informed Silik that he didn't know the function of the device, but that Archer had instructed him to destroy it so that it could not be used by Silik to contact anybody. Silik, believing the device might help him to contact his controller, returned to the temporal chamber on the Helix and activated the device.3

Back on the NX-01 the crew gained control of Engineering and created a simulated reactor overload. Fearing a massive explosion, Silik had the ship towed clear of the Helix whilst he continued trying to use the device. A figure appeared in the communications device... none other than Captain Archer. Using the combination of Suliban and Daniels' technology Archer was able to return to his own time.3

The NX-01 battled its way clear of the Helix, fighting multiple Suliban ships. Defeat seemed inevitable... until Archer arrived on a cell ship with Silik as his captive. Archer forced the Suliban ships to disengage and the Enterprise escaped to safety.3

Rendezvousing with the Vulcan ship D'kyr, Archer presented evidence vinidcating Enterprise of the Paraagan disaster. Even so Ambassador Soval recommended the recall of Enterprise, citing the reckless missions which the ship had engaged upon duing its the first year in space. T'Pol appealed in Archer's favour - and the decision was made to allow the ship to contine its mission.3